At RealClearHealth Mark Mackie and Steven Kuzmich present an alternative to the Affordable Care Act which will:
(a) offer universal health care coverage for serious illnesses for everyone in the country; (b) initiate universal wellness screenings for lower-income households that receive such coverage; and (c) inject market-based pricing that will cut federal and private health care costs — all without resorting to mandates or a single payer system
I’m skeptical that “market-based pricing” can be introduced into the healthcare system without eliminating the American Medical Association’s monopoly on deciding the relative worth of procedures or altering the supply side of the purchase transaction.
To my eye their plan looks very similar to the Ryan plan that was floated some years ago. That might be okay if the “contributions”, i.e. benefits, were indexed to non-healthcare inflation. Otherwise it’s unclear to me how it presents any advantage over Medicaid.
No one anywhere knows how to make markets work in health care. When tried, it has resulted in higher prices, not lower.
Steve
Why do we need to keep pretending that there is a healthcare market? OK, I want unicorn lollipops from the healthcare market because they can cure anything. How much do they cost, in wormcoat dollars?
There is a transportation market. Some people drive a Cadillac or Lexus. Some people drive a Corolla or Focus. Some people have a bus pass. Some people scrape together change for a bus ride or walk. How exactly does the market help the bus riders?
Oh wait, they get bike racks. Unicorn lollipops would be a better deal.